Customer Reviews

Place of Dead Roads

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The Place of Dead Roads is the second book in the Western Lands trilogy, which begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands. The story begins in late 19th century American west, following the exploits of the young, homosexual, opiate addicted gunslinger, Kim Carsons. We follow Carsons and his gang, the Wild Fruits, through wired western mythology and sci-fi space/time travelling adventure as they attempt to organize the world-wide "Johnson Family", to overthrow the humans infected by a venusian virus which turns them into religious snooping control freaks. All the elements of classic Burroughs are here. There's an abundance of drug frenzy, violence and wicked black humour. This book, or its prequel Cities of the Red Night, are ideal places to start for anyone who is approaching Burroughs for the first time; as well as being thoroughly challenging and entertaining to the initiated. This Trilogy (li! ke much of Burroughs' work reading the 3 in sequence is not specifically required) is my personal favourite of Burroughs. I highly recommend it, but be warned: it will change the way you dream forever! R.I.P Bill. We miss you.

This is only a little bit more coherent than Naked Lunch, but Burroughs seems to have become better at description since NL -- the descriptions of scenery, people, and everything else, are perhaps the best I've ever seen in the English language. Some people may be turned off by (or drawn by!) the graphic drug use, homosexual pedophilia, etc, but that's just a sideshow: Burroughs is a master of language and wording, and that's the big reason to read the book. This book is a must-read, even if only to see someone pushing the limits of language, writing, and imagination. See why the Beats considered Burroughs a literary mentor.

This may be the most accessible of all of Burrough's books, and proves his brilliant command of the language. He starts with an incredibly strong novel, and then takes us on a head trip through the joys and evils of modern civilization. Remarkably coherent, considering the ground that he covers. Like a few other things, you really can't explain it - just try it and you'll see.

(...) This is the best of Burroughs's novels. Unfortunately it seems to be a forgotten masterpiece, with less knowledgable fans continuing to tout his earlier, better-known stuff (Junkie, Naked Lunch, Queer), the stuff that's in print and more notorious than his later, finer work. I'm so glad that there's been a reprinting of this book - I would absolutely recommend it to any Burroughs fan as compulsory reading, and to anyone else who wants to read a lost 20th century masterpiece.

In my opinion William S. Burroughs was one of the greatest authors of the 20th century.
In this masterpiece the author weaves an incredible series of vignettes, sometimes horrific, into a cohesive and powerful story.
Disturbing, surreal and powerful.

I would have to re-read this book to give a just review, so I will cut to the chase... I remember being stunned at the brilliance of this work when I read it. If you've only read 'junky' then you could never fathom just how good Burroughs can be!

This i regard as Burrough's most accomplished work. It crystallizes and synthesizes the Naked Lunch method of chaos, the cut up poetry of the Soft Machine and the newly found appreciation of the prose tale like in the Wild Boys. Though there's very little of the characteristic hipster imagery, this distorted Western movie style novel conjures up an even more shocking world than Junky did. Its humour that of a crocodile wanting to smoke a good cigar with you. And what about feeling compassion for a shootist that wants to destroy the borders of humanity? Without a word too many, despite all the repitition, a desert vista of all that Burroughs stands for is created from a vultures point of view, with some expeditions into the jungle of his dreams and fears. And what is it you find there? Not just a simple answer to the questions of life. It leaves you on your own confronted with the cruel caleidoscope of truth. You thought you could make a deal with good and bad? Read this book.

Burroughs is a master of allegory. His rich imagery and mysticism are unequaled. Be prepared to let your mind wander and be open to new ways to tell stories basic to who we are.

This particular work of William S Burrough, in conjunction with all his previous works, acts as a key to a lost codex of the infinite. In other works of his, notably the cut-up trilogy, i found myself at a loss at times, allowing the text to be read and then reabsorbed as an intoned image of the Burroughs mind and intention. In The Place of Dead Roads very little code cracking is necessary for understanding the text while providing insight to his other works in a depth and dimension that didn't exist to me before. He reveals his influence in stride along with the tale of many of his alter-egos. His true will and heart are imbedded page after page, revealing a man looking back over his life, the places of dead roads, as well as looking forward to the final transition of life... death... and immortality. Leading into his final novel The western lands. This is not a book for just anyone as the text states in it's self, it is meant for those who are looking for it. I hope in time we all find this classic piece of work.

In "The Place of Dead Roads," the second volume of the "Cities of the Red Night" trilogy, Burroughs continues his scathing deconstruction of Western society, making a murderously funny mockery of hypocrisy and hum-drum normality. Written with a practiced mix of anger and nostalgia, "The Place of Dead Roads" is like a prison confession written in some other dimension, a rollicking synthesis of Burroughs tropes old and new. Join Kim Carsons on his nightmare quest to rid the planet of its addictions: it's a surreal and haunting literary journey, the last 100 pages of which witness Burroughs at his visionary best.